The Love of Her Life
by melinda08
Summary: What might have happened if Kelly stayed in the car with Chuck at the end of the movie.
1. Chapter 1

Chuck Noland couldn't believe it. Sitting in the car beside him was Kelly Frears, the love of his life. They were driving back to his hotel room, unsure of the future. One thing was certain- they loved each other and that no matter what happened that love would guide their path. It would be a rocky one, to be sure. Kelly was leaving behind a daughter and a husband who would not understand. She would fight for her daughter, but she would deal with that later. Right now they had each other, something that they had never really thought would happen again.

Pulling up to the hotel, Chuck looked at Kelly nervously. What were they doing? Was this really happening? Could they really forget about everything and give in to each other's deepest desires? There was only one way to find out.

He held the door open for her and took her hand, remembering all of the times he had done that previously. So many memories flooded his mind, not just of Kelly but of the island as well.

_You wouldn't happen to have a match by any chance? _

His first words to Wilson he would never forget. Wilson. How could he ever explain_ that_ to anyone? Wilson was his friend, his only friend when he needed one the most, and now he was gone and Kelly was here. Chuck knew what he would do- he would buy a new volleyball. Not that it would take Wilson's place of course, but it would serve as a reminder of what he had had, and that was good enough for him.

Inside the hotel Chuck fumbled with the key and finally managed to open the door. The walk to the room was one of nervous silence and excitement, both knowing what was about to happen but neither of them willing to put into words for fear they jinx their night. Just for the night they wanted to forget all of their problems, all of their cares, all of their worries, and just be…

"Can I get you something? Some Coke? I can get some ice? Great stuff that ice," Chuck marveled.

"No thank you. I'm fine," Kelly smilled nervously.

"So…"

"So…"

Suddenly Kelly wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck and kissed him passionately, throwing herself into the moment. At first he was taken aback but this was _Kelly _for goodness sake and this was a moment he'd dreamed of for years. He pulled her close to him, never wanting to let go and pressed her tightly against him. He ran his hand along her dress and allowed himself to trace every curve, remembering how soft she felt against his touch. It didn't take them long before he had entered her, pressing softly but firmly against her until she cried out in pleasure and he knew that he'd taken her where he wanted to. She cried out again before it was his turn and they both collapsed in exhaustion.

They exchanged I love you's and settled into a deep sleep, which was a good thing because they needed all the rest they could get for the long road ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning," Kelly smiled as she turned on the coffee.

"Good morning," Chuck rolled over, for a second forgetting where he was and that he had some company. But this was real, Kelly was here with him and he wasn't alone. Not anymore. He thought about asking her to marry him right then and there but then he remembered she was already spoken for. That was right. She was married. Last night was wonderful but today brought a whole new set of problems. First order of business was bringing him back to life. He had to get with Stan and meet with some lawyers and deal with some paperwork and bring himself back to life so to speak. Legal stuff. But he would gladly suffer through all of this if it meant never looking at that awful island again.

"What are you thinking about? You're looking so serious," Kelly commented as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.

"Nothing. Nothing important. Is the coffee ready?"

Kelly frowned. She knew that he might have a difficult time adjusting to life back in Memphis and she didn't want to pressure him but she wished he would open up. He always did keep things to himself, that was just his way. But for some reason she hoped that this time would be different. A person couldn't go through the experiences Chuck did and not be changed. She would give him time. That's all they had. They had no guarantee that things would work out. They made no promises to each other, no commitments. But they had time to get to know each other all over again and find out if that love was still there and to let it grow, maybe even deeper than before.

"Chuck?"

"Yes?" He asked as he sipped the coffee had brought him. He set it down then set about the process of getting dressed. Kelly tried not to stare but she couldn't help herself; she still couldn't believe she was here with him. She'd given up Jerry and Katie and her whole life and she couldn't think about that now. What was important was the love she found and she would never let go of again. Chuck loved her and she loved him and nothing would come between them- she would make sure of that.

"Is everything okay?"

He looked at her and finished pulling up his pants and stopped for a minute and looked for her thoughtfully. What would Wilson say? Would he tell him to reassure Kelly because that's what she needed or would he tell him to tell her the truth- that Chuck was just as scared as she was. He decided to go with the former.

"Everything's fine Kelly. I promise." He smiled and took her hand."

Not really believing him but not wanting to not believe him, Kelly leaned in and gave him a kiss.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

And they would need that love for what lay ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

"Chuck did you hear him? He's offering you fifteen million dollars-plus your job for life if you'd even want it," Stan whispered as the reality of the situation began to sink in. Fifteen milliion dollars- that was a lot of money. Never in his life had he even met someone with that much money, let alone let himself dream of possessing it.

"Chuck we appreciate what you've been through and we certainly cannot underestimate the conditions in what you've had to endure. Here at Fed-Ex we believe in taking care of our own and we want to make sure that you're going to have every thing that you will ever need for the rest of your life," George Cooper the cooperate attorney spoke up.

"Well that sounds great but I think that I need a little time to think about this. Certainly you guys can appreciate this don't you?" Chuck asked.

"Unfortunately, policy allows us to make this a one time offer. So unfortunately.."

"You need my decision now."

"May I consult with my client?" Steven Worthington, Chuck's lawyer asked. "You don't have to accept this you know. There are other options."

"Such as?"

"Pursuing our legal options…"

"Suing them?"

"Ssh!"

"Suing them?" The thought had never crossed his mind although it did seem like a possibility. No, no. He wasn't like that. He couldn't do that to the company he'd devoted himself to. Even though he'd lost years of his life due to a plane crash that was not his fault he couldn't see suing his company. It just wasn't in his character.

"Think about it Chuck. You're quite sympathetic. Barring some awful skeleton in your closet that you're not telling me about there's no way a jury wouldn't award you twice what they're offering. I strongly suggest you take your chances and go for it."

What his lawyer didn't know about- what no one knew about- was Kelly. Chuck was quite sure that Jerry Lovett would be more than happy to testify for Fed-Ex as to Chuck's character, or lack of it. And the last thing he wanted to do was to put Kelly through a public humiliation. He would never hurt her, not on purpose. She had already been through so much.

Chuck approached the table. "Where do I sign?"

And just like that Chuck Noland was a millionaire. And he knew the first thing he would buy.


	4. Chapter 4

Millionaire. Chuck couldn't believe it. All of his problems were behind him, or so he thought. He had Kelly and he was financially set for life; he couldn't wait to tell her about this. But for some reason he found himself at a Wal-Mart at the sporting goods section. This was hard. Did he really want to go there? Nothing could ever replace Wilson. Did he really need that reminder of his time on the island?

There they were in front of him: a row of Wilson volleyballs. Chuck laughed to himself as wondered which one called his name. That was more than just an expression, though no one would ever understand it. He smiled as he grabbed the one in the back, the one that might not get picked first but certainly was as good as the others. Finally, he could sleep well at nights again.

He got back to his place and he saw Kelly's car so he left Wilson II in the car. He didn't feel like explaining it to her, not yet. Chuck knew that she would understand so he would tell her when the time was right. He went inside where he saw that Kelly had been crying.

"What's wrong honey? Did I do something wrong?" Chuck asked, running over to her.

She held out papers. "No. It's not you. It's my ex. He's served me with divorce papers."

"Well that's not so bad. We can finally be together," he reassured her.

Kelly looked up at him. "You don't get it. He's asking for full custody of Katie."

Just then he knew all of the money in the world wouldn't solve this problem.


End file.
